While researching Harry and Edna’s trip on the Matsonia, I used Google to search for “Shriner trip to Hawaii 1958.” On that day, someone was selling some travel ephemera on eBay that included a letter of invitation and a travel brochure for a “1958 Pilgrimage to Paradise” trip to Hawaii, sent in late 1957 to members of the Shriner organization. Also included in the auction was an itinerary for the all-inclusive trip. This was the actual voyage taken by Harry and Edna. For about $6, I was able to buy a day-by-day account of their trip, starting when they boarded the Matsonia in San Francisco until they reached Honolulu a week later.
For example, the itinerary describes the day’s plans on the big island of Hawaii on Tuesday, April 15, 1958:
Chapter Four: The Unexpected
In a box of slides simply marked “Hawaii,” one of the first slides is a passenger’s view through a car windshield, taken while driving on a long Hawaiian road flanked by lush green fields.
Remarkable. This photograph now has metadata. It’s been tagged!
This has been an amazing journey for the once-anonymous couple but also for all of us who have taken a ride with Harry and Edna more than 50 years later.